This England

by Mark Rawlins   Sep 25, 2013


Imran, Imran, Is that you?
What happened at school today?
Imran, Imran, is that you?
My nerves are all of a fray.
Yesterday, they set fire to his satchel
All his hard work up in flames.
Headmaster says there's nothing he can do,
They're kids, and they're just playing games.
I've complained out of exasperation,
Although I tried very hard to keep cool.
He says he'll monitor the situation
All the time Imran's at school.
Too scared, too scared to go to school,
Scared to come home too.
Imran, Imran, don't be a fool,
Imran, is that you?

'Fight back, Imran, fight back', says he,
But how can he fight back?
He fought back himself, didn't he?
When he was under attack.
Arrested and beaten and put in a cell,
Battered and bruised, they put him through Hell.
And now they watch us closer, they sit all night long
Outside the shop in their cars.
We're not terrorists, we've done nothing wrong
To this blessed seat of Mars.
Go and catch some real criminals, that's what I say!
Please come home, Imran, come home today.

I begged with him, please, let's get out of here,
It's not safe for us now, we're living in fear.
But he shakes his head, 'we've our business to run,
Our livelihood's here, we must think of our son'.
Livelihood! Working all hours, filling the shelves,
Earning barely enough to feed ourselves.
And they keep saying, 'ooh you do work hard,'
But they don't want us living in their back yard.
Let's get out of here please, it's not safe for us here.
Let's get out of here please, we're living in fear.

Imran, Imran, is that you?
My nerves are all of a fray.
Can't go out, can't stay in the house
After what happened yesterday....
A group of youths in the market place,
Throwing bricks, one just missed my face.
They followed us home ... what can I say more?
A dog turd was posted through the front door.
I phoned the polices, they were not interested,
Said 'limited resources are being invested.'
'Just kids' the policeman said on the phone,
But would he say that if it was his home?

Imran, Imran, is that you?
What happened at school today?

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Latest Comments

  • 10 years ago

    by Meena Krish

    Such an emotional write which shows that still in this day and age people get treated differently as well as abused; and because you used a name it becomes more personal..touching write.

    Congrats on the win :)

  • 10 years ago

    by Poet on the Piano

    I admire how you have constructed this poem with these rich thoughts, themes of discrimination and more importantly, negligence of such acts based on possible racial/political/religious standpoints.

    Interesting bits of dialogue I thought added to this piece well, as well as the name of the boy and repetition of it. I agree about the flow as well, it was well-done and the rhyming seemed natural when reading.

    Congrats on the win & take care!

  • 11 years ago

    by Abed

    What a portrayal of the discrimination still going in the world. I love your subliminal messages. Great job, you hold the ropes of your flow tightly!